Filmmaking Coen brothers take on “clean coal”

The Coen brothers, who brought you such hilarious films as “Fargo” and “O Brother Where Art Thou” (not to mention the fabulous “The Big Lebowski”) have turned their gunsights on the “clean coal” campaign with a funny TV commercial.

It’s part of a campaign to undo the disinformation being spread by coal companies (and the presidential candidates in the last election) that “clean coal” is here, when everyone knows it’s some future possibility. It’s put on by thisisreality.org.

In the TV spot, an uber-polished coal company pitchman joins a suburban family in their home. The wife is spraying an air freshener (some of which have their own environmental-health issues), but the man from Big Coal whips out an aerosol can marked “clean coal.” As the homemaker sprays, huge clouds of black dust emerge. The kids go into coughing fits as the pitchman does his thing:

Clean coal harnesses the awesome power of the word ‘clean.’ …

Clean coal is supported by the coal industry — the most trusted name in coal.

More on the ad from the LA Times’ Marla Dickerson here.
And, for my money, although I love the Coen brothers, I thought this ad by the same group (but not by the Coens, apparently) was even funnier.